Set up a listener in Web Messenger

Learn how to set up a listener in Web Messenger, such as Vernon Browser.

Overview

A listener is an application that receives and reads the messages from Web Messenger, for example:

  • Vernon Browser.

  • Your website’s content management system.

  • Your digital asset management system.

There are six steps to setting up a listener in Web Messenger: 

  1. Enter the listener details

  2. Set the capturing options

  3. Set the sending options

  4. Set any additional parameters

  5. Set the log level

  6. Save the listener

Step 1: Enter the listener details

  1. Go to the Tools menu, then Public Access, then click Web Messenger.

  2. In the Web Messenger Monitor window, click Configuration.

  3. In the Listener ID field, enter an ID. For example, BROWSER.

  4. In the Name field, enter a name. For example, Browser website.

  5. Optional: In the Notes field, enter a description or notes about the listener.

Step 2: Set the capturing options

  1. Tick the Capturing checkbox.

  2. With the Synchronous checkbox, specify whether synchronous or asynchronous mode should be used to process the messages in the queue.

    • To use synchronous mode, tick the checkbox.

    • To use asynchronous mode, leave the checkbox clear.

    • For Vernon Browser, leave this checkbox clear as it uses asynchronous mode.

  3. In the Tester Program field, you can determine how Web Messenger should generate a message for a captured record. This field is used in addition to, or instead of, the Datafile conditions. You may need to enter details in the Additional Parameters table.

    • For Vernon Browser, enter WM_MODULE_XML.

    • The WM_MODULE_XML tester program tells Vernon Browser how to process the Keep Browser Data parameter.

    • It also tells Vernon Browser how to process messages for the Photo/Audio-Visual file. This means it only processes records that have changes to the Public Access Level or Digital Filename fields.

  4. With the All Datafiles checkbox, specify if you want to capture changes for all files in Vernon CMS.

    • To use all files, tick the checkbox.

    • To use only the files specified in your export report, leave the checkbox clear.

    • For Vernon Browser, leave this checkbox clear as it uses the export report.

  5. In the Datafile column of the table, enter the files that Web Messenger should capture. For Vernon Browser, you should only enter these files (and only the ones you have exported):

    • Object

    • Person

    • Exhibition Venue

    • Topic

    • Photo/Audio-Visual

  6. Optional: In the Flag Field column of the table, enter the field from the file which flags records as publishable. This can be a user symbolic field if you have more complex data requirements for when a record is published.

    • For Vernon Browser, enter PUBLISHED_COLLECTION (the Published Collection field).

  7. Optional: In the Saved List column, enter a saved list of records.

    • If you use a saved list instead of a flag field, Web Messenger captures changes for all records in the list.

    • Web Messenger processes records that are not on your saved list as Delete messages. The listener ignores or removes records that are not on the saved list.

    • For Vernon Browser, don't enter a saved list.

  8. Optional: In the Argument column, record any additional parameters that are specific to the files.

    • For Vernon Browser 4 and later (with the WM_MODULE_XML packager), enter the Porfolio ID of the saved report associated with each datafile.

Step 3: Set the sending options

  1. Tick the Sending checkbox.

  2. In the Groups/Users field, select the security process which defines which users or workstations are 'send servers'.

    • You can use an existing security process such as Menu Tools System Maintenance which only Supervisor users typically have access to.

    • If you leave this field blank, all users can send messages to the listener.

  3. In the Packager Program field, enter the program that builds the messages and sends them.

    • For Vernon Browser, enter WM_MODULE_XML.

  4. Under Web Service Settings, in the URL field, enter the URL (web address) for the listener website.

    • For Vernon Browser, enter the site’s URL and add /opac-rest on the end (for example, https://browser.vernonsystems.com/opac-rest).

Optional settings

For Vernon Browser, leave these fields blank.

  1. In the User field, enter a user name to include in the URL of each message.

  2. In the Password field, enter a password to include in the URL of each message.

  3. In the Timeout (sec) field, enter the number of seconds the sender will wait for a response from the listener.

  4. In the Interval (sec) field, enter the number of seconds to delay messages. This will allow the listener more time to process messages. Ideally this should be no more than a few seconds. If unspecified, Web Messenger sends messages without delay. Web Messenger Monitor shows a send status of 'pause' when the message is delayed.

  5. In the OLE field, enter the Microsoft OLE component used to send HTTP messages.

Step 4: Set any additional parameters

  1. In the Additional Parameters table, in the Name column, enter the name of an additional parameter.

    • For Vernon Browser, enter Query Media to check if images already exist on the destination server.

    • For Vernon Browser 3 and earlier, enter Browser Config ID.

    • You can enter another parameter called Keep Browser Data, which means that:

      • Web Messenger won’t remove records from Vernon Browser. This is helpful if you accidentally remove records from your saved list.

      • Web Messenger won’t fill the queue with Delete messages. Remember, the Delete messages are for all records, not just those on your saved list.

      • You’ll need to go into the Vernon Browser Administration page to delete records.

  2. In the Value column, enter a value for each parameter.

    • For the Query Media parameter, enter 1 to skip images which already exist on the destination server.

    • For the Browser Config ID parameter, enter the System ID for the Browser Configuration record where you have used the Browser Collection record with the Saved List of records that you want to capture on the Browser.

    • For the Keep Browser Data parameter, enter 1.

Step 5: Set the log level

Under Log Level, select the level of detail that you want to record in the log:

  • None

  • Exceptions

  • Process

  • Detail

We recommend that you select Exceptions, which will only log errors.

Step 6: Save the listener

Click Save Listener.

Video

See also